Students Prefer Korean English Teachers to Native Speakers

Korean students prefer to be taught English by Korean teachers with outstanding English conversation and teaching skills, even though they are more satisfied with the lessons of native English-speaking teaching assistants than of their Korean counterparts, according to a survey.

The survey released Sunday by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education was conducted among 28,761 students, 11,980 parents, 2,406 Korean English teachers, and 595 native English-speaking teaching assistants at 1,282 primary and secondary schools in Seoul.

Some 62.2 percent of parents and 53.7 percent of students wanted Korean teachers with good English skills. Only 26.9 percent of parents and 29.7 percent of students preferred native speakers.

Yet in practice parents and pupils were more satisfied with the lessons of native speakers than with Korean English teachers'. Some 54.2 percent of parents said native speakers are more helpful in improving their children's English skills, as against 39 percent who were happy with the lessons of Korean English teachers.

Likewise, 60 percent of students were happy with native speakers' lessons, compared to 55.3 percent said for Korean English teachers.